


A Question of Time

by QueenGeekRose



Series: Magic Users Among Us AU (ON INDEFINITE HIATUS) [1]
Category: Magic Users Among Us AU, Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Best Friends, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Humor, Long, M/M, Magic, Meme, Mystery Character(s), Novel, Real Life, Rhymes, Romance, Slow Build, Song Lyrics, Sweet, a little silly, song titles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-06-09 13:21:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6908845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenGeekRose/pseuds/QueenGeekRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two best friends have a strange problem.   One can only talk in Memes or rhymes and the other can only talk in song lyrics.  What made this happen?   How can tracking down a mystery man be the only way to fix the problem?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prelude - Mystery Man

**Author's Note:**

> *******ON TEMPORARY HOLD********  
> I am having trouble with the next part and am putting this on hold for a little while. I am still writing and posting on the site, so keep an eye out for me. I will try to come back to this soon. Thanks for understanding!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It starts with a mystery man and two women at a cafe...

Rose was meeting her old college buddy Deena for lunch at their favorite cafe. Looking around, Rose watched as people walked quickly between buildings or strolled slowly up and down the sidewalk outside. Why did it seem everyone was either in a super hurry or moving at a snails pace? She had been noticing it more and more as the day wore on. Maybe it was her imagination. As she waited for Deena, Rose failed to spot the guy over at the counter staring at her curiously. There was something strange about him, as though he was somehow less substantial or more ethereal than everyone else around him. The man continued to watch her unobserved for nearly 15 minutes before nodding softly to himself and whisper a comment to the empty air. The waitress at the cafe, however noticed his whispers and approached him, somewhat nervously. "Sir, so you need anything else? Or would you like your check?"

The man whipped his head around quickly to look at the waitress. "Um, I could use a drink. A large raspberry iced tea please." The man thanked the waitress and quietly chuckled under his breath. The waitress shrugged and walked away, somewhat confused by the man's reaction and her own worry about what was going on. With a mental shake, she went off to go get the requested beverage.

Meanwhile, Rose had finally stopped pacing and spotted Deena. With a huge grin, She called out to her friend; "Dee, over here! What happened, did you get lost AGAIN?" The other woman trotted up and gave her friend a quick hug and laughed.

"No, Rose. That only ever happens when you distract me. Now let's eat! I'm super hungry."

The two women linked arms companionably and walked into the cafe. As they waited to be seated the man at the counter turned his gaze to the second woman in the group. She was a short, thin, fiery brunette from all appearances and clearly was dressed for a day out with friends. Her long hair was tied up in a cute, but messy ponytail, and her clothes were a pair of flared jeans and a pretty, but simple, long-sleeved tee. The woman looked like she was not wearing any makeup from where he was sitting, but it was a little hard to tell. She was carrying a small denim bag and wore simple sneakers that matched her tee shirt rather well. The man once more looked over at the other woman, 'Rose' he thinks he heard her called. The name suits her. She is rather tall for a woman, probably just over 1.85 meters or 6 feet tall. Her build could best be described as zaftig, or curvy and large, but not unpleasantly so. It suits her taller height, the man thinks to himself. She is pale, with large, dark eyes that have just the barest hint of smile lines forming at the corners. Her straight auburn hair was bobbed to just below her ears and it framed her face nicely. He noticed just the smallest traces of dark roots that matched her long dark lashes and elegantly shaped eyebrows. She has a smattering of freckles and birthmarks, both on her arms and face, which give her an interesting and cute appearance. She too has no makeup on and was dressed casually in jeans, sandals, and a light sweater. Her friend said something to her just then and a loud crack of laughter was heard. The man looked down at the counter and smiled to himself. She has a lovely voice and a fantastic laugh, he thought. He also enjoyed how her small round nose crinkled at the corners and dimples flashed at the corners of her mouth when she laughed. He decided she had a kind face. Just then the waitress brought his drink over. He thanked her and began doodling on a napkin as he lost himself in thought once more.

Rose was completely unaware of the stranger's scrutiny however, and walked over to the table with Deena when the hostess seated them. Deena had noticed the man, but since he didn't seem to be a creepy weirdo or obviously drooling over them, she ignored him. He seemed to be staring more through them then at them anyway, or so Deena thought at the time. She gave no more thought to the matter as she focused on her larger friend.

"How long has it been since we last went out Rose? Six months? Seven?"

Rose grinned and replied, "Hey, I'm not the one who got married and left on a three month honeymoon out of the country. I was patient! Whose fault is it that after you got back you couldn't be away from Alex for even one night out with me?" She fake pouted and added, "Really. Not even one." She then traced a fake tear down her cheek. After only a few seconds she then grinned and giggled a little as her friend blushed and tried to stammer out an apology. "Relax I was just kidding! You ought to know me well enough to know when I'm serious by now."

Deena looked relieved and quipped back; "Rose, you deadpan things so well sometimes even I can't tell if you're serious or not. Don't you remember that acting class? The professor was so impressed with you he tried to recruit you for the show! Come on, be fair now."

Rose chuckled softly, "I had forgotten about that. I can't believe he tried to fail me for not agreeing. Fortunately, the department director was able to make him see sense. I was just too busy with my other classes ans work to swing anything else. You remember what I was like..." 

"Yeah, I do. And what you are still like. How did you manage to pry yourself away from your computer long enough to meet me today? How many alarms and reminders did you have to leave for yourself? Come on now and tell me the truth." 

"Okay, okay. More than one. But I have been busy and since I work from home, it can be hard to know what day it is. I get so much more done at home though, my boss says he swears I must just work around the clock. Personally, I think it's 'cause I don't have other people constantly talking at me, I can work the hours that work best for me, and I don't have anyone watching over my shoulder. Especially since I am working on web design and art. I can meet the clients once or twice, and then just chat or video conference with them about what they want, changes they need, or how they like things. Plus no commute!"

"Hey, you don't have to sell me on it. Clearly you know what your doing and are in the right job. The boss loves you, the clients all love you, and you save the company loads of money. Alex is always talking about how great an employee you are and wondering how he can steal you over to his department. He would love it if you abandoned the PR people and joined the art department full-time. You know that. But enough about work. Tell me what's new with you since we talked last?"

Just then a waiter walked up with menus and asked them if they knew what they wanted to drink pr if they needed a few minutes before they ordered. Deena immediately responded, "I'll have a large banana smoothie, a grilled chicken and spinach panini on garlic toast, and a side of chips and salsa. Extra pickles on the side and please go light on the mayo. Thanks!" After just a minutes so the waiter can get all that down, Rose responded with her order. "I'll have a large diet cola with a lime slice, please. And the shrimp wonton salad with dressing on the side, extra croutons. What kinds of soup do you have today?"

The waiter looked at the cheat sheet he had tucked behind the writing tablet. "Cream of broccoli, Italian Wedding, Enchilada, Tomato, and a Beef Mushroom stew."

Rose thought about it for a few seconds and said "I'm gonna need a minute to figure out the rest of my order. Can you ask again when you come back with the drinks?" The waiter nodded and smiled as he walked away.

Deena eyed Rose suspiciously. "You are gonna order more than just that little salad right? Your not trying to go on some crazy diet again are you? You know what happened last time." Both women shuddered briefly at the memory of the several month hospital stay and treatment for malnutrition and anxiety that the larger woman had needed. Rose shook her head firmly.

"I just want to look over the menu and see what they have added recently. Honestly, I forgot to eat this morning and am starved, and the first thing I thought of was a cheeseburger. The only cheeseburger I saw so far on the menu has onions cooked in and bacon." Rose has several food allergies and a somewhat sensitive stomach, as her friend well knows. Deena wrinkled her nose at that and giggled, "What are you a LOLcat? Are you gonna ask if you CANZ HAZ CHEEZEBURGERZ?!?" Rose laughed softly and said "No, of course not. Now let me read the menu for a minute okay? Thanks!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Note: Wow. That was longer than I thought it would be, but this seems like a decent stopping point for now. I will try to get more out as soon as possible if you guys like this. I am breaking up the chapters because they are all long, BUT I am grouping them. I'll explain next chapter. :)


	2. Prelude - They Haz Cheezeburgerz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at Rose's apartment...

When the waiter came back with their drinks, Rose smiled sweetly at the waiter, who then blushed slightly and stammered out "H-have you made a choice miss?" Rose nodded and and answered with her choice of lunch, " Besides the salad and soda, I'll have a Turkey Burger with Mushrooms and Swiss, extra pickles no mayo, no tomato, on a multi-grain bun. A cup of Cream of Broccoli soup for the side please. Thank you so much sweetie!" You turned back to Deena. She was trying to smother a giggle and failing miserably as the waiter's blush deepened and he walked away to put the food order in. She couldn't stifle the laugh that burst out as the waiter accidentally ran into the wall, missing the door to the kitchen by a good six inches or so (15.25 cm). Rose didn't see it, so she had no idea why Deena suddenly burst out laughing. When she looked at her friend with a raised eyebrow, Deena just shook her head and tried to stop her laughing fit.  
The mystery man at the counter saw the whole exchange and wondered if 'Rose' really didn't know what happened or if she was playing some kind of game. He looked down at the napkin on the counter in front of him and quickly and quietly made a few odd squiggly lines on the center of the napkin, folded it in half and asked the waitress to deliver it to the table Rose and her friend were sitting at. The waitress smiled and commented, "Yes, certainly sir. They are quite cute aren't they." The waitress winked and left the check for him to pay whenever he was ready. The mystery man glanced at his bill, tossed some money on the table, and grabbed his coat and left. The stranger smiled quietly to himself as we quickly walked away, leaving before the friends had even gotten the napkin. He wanted to be well away before the ladies read the runes he had left to test them with. If this 'Rose' was really the person he suspected then she would be able to read the runes, cast the spell, and trace him. Eventually...

The waitress had tucked the napkin in her apron pocket and walked over to the table the two friends were sharing. She gave them the napkin with a wink and explained it was from the nice gentleman at the counter, but when they asked who and the waitress looked to point him out she was startled to see he was gone already. The waitress stated the man must be a very fast mover because he was gone now. She put the napkin on the table and walked back to the counter, relieved to see she the money waiting for her. As she rang the sale out on the drawer and put the change in her pocket to give the man if he reappeared, she shrugged a little and suddenly her eyes glazed over for just a few seconds. The man stepped back from the window after making sure the waitress forgot he was ever even there. With a smile and a whistle he set off down the busy street. He had forgotten how much he hated leaving loose ends until he saw the waitress return to the counter. Now he could go.

Deena was the first to comment about the napkin. "I wonder which of us it's for?"

Rose smiled at her friend and said "We can look after we eat. Here comes some of the food now. I'm going to put this away in my purse so we don't spill on it. Okay? Just remind me about it later!" She chuckled softly and added "I'd hate to get a phone call at midnight tonight because you suddenly remember it's in my wallet and have to know NOW what it says." Deena blushed a little and laughed as well. The food arrived and the two ate slowly, enjoying a leisurely lunch and the company of the other woman. Neither wanted the day to end after they finished eating so Rose invited Dee back to her apartment, since it was the closer of the two. Deena agreed to meet Rose there and they hopped into their cars for the quick drive back. Rose was glad to be home, much as she liked spending time with Deena. Rose had a secret she never told Deena and her friend had never noticed. Rose was an introvert. Deena knew that Rose didn't care for parties, hated bars, and rarely put herself out there, but she had no idea that today was the first time in over two weeks Rose had even left the apartment other than to check the mail and run a bag of trash down to the dumpster once or twice. It was very hard for Rose to deal with people on a more than one or two person basis at all, which was why she was so much better suited to working from home. Most clients were dealt with one on one that way, and even for companies that had more people to meet with, a video conference or phone call was not nearly as panic-inducing as a face to face meeting. Rose grabbed the groceries she had shopped for before stopping for lunch and quickly put them away. She then heard the soft knock on the door and went to let Deena in. Deena followed Rose into her rather spacious apartment and commented on how beautiful the new paintings were. Rose smiled and thanked Deena. Few people who visited knew all the artwork on display was done by her. Deena particularly like a new painting of the night sky over the beach Rose had done and put by the over-flowing bookshelf. When Deena turned back to Rose, she saw another piece by the TV that she had never seen before either. It was the same beach (or at least a very similar one) done at dawn with the sunrise melting into the water in a most breath-taking way. Deena asked Rose "Did you put them facing each other on purpose? Or are you finally starting to run out of wall space?"  
Rose shook her head at the other woman. "No smarty pants. It was on purpose. One is just after sunset and the other is just after dawn. I had to go to a beach in California for work a few months ago and take pictures for a hotel website. This beach was just a little way away and I came after work one night. It was so peaceful I ended up staring into the waves and at the stars all night and just had to get these to images on canvas. It was amazing. I hope to go back to that beach if I ever need to update the hotel website or have another contract out there."

Deena raised her eyebrows. "Why not just go on vacation there? I know you have the time saved up. It might be less expensive than you think and it would be a great place to work on your tan. "

Rose laughed derisively. "My tan, huh. You still think I want to see the sun. I am total night owl and you know it. When, other than the time I was watching for you, was the last time you saw me outside? Well, other than on my balcony to watch the rain or water my plants."

Deena laughed as well. "Now that you mention it, I am starting to wonder if you are secretly a vampire and that's why you're so pale."

"No. You know it's my Celtic heritage, you goof. Now do you want something to drink before we sit down, or are you good for now. I need to go grab some painkillers and a drink before we get to comfy." Deena looked at her friend with concern. Rose shook her head " I just have a headache. I probably need to get my eyes checked again."

As Deena turned away to find a place to sit, she missed the grimace of pain that Rose suppressed. Deena smiled when she sat down the oversized, overstuffed armchair by the bookshelf. Of all Rose's furniture, this was her favorite. The gorgeous material was a soft, almost buttery texture and the most beautiful shade of faded purple Deena had ever seen. The chair just seemed to give you the best soft hugs ever. That was why the chair reminded her so much of Rose herself. Big, soft, quiet, undemanding, and comforting. Perfect. Deena wondered once again why her friend was still single. True she was not exactly a model, although she could certainly get a job as a plus-sized model if she had wanted to. Maybe it was just how quiet and shy she was, Deena finally decided. Well, no more! Deena was determined to find a great guy for Rose as soon as possible. But how to do it without Rose figuring it out and running... Deena needed to plan this a bit more before springing into action. And maybe enlist a few helpers.

When Rose came back with her painkillers and bottle of water she sat down on the couch next to the armchair and asked Deena what they should do next. Deena immediately responded with a "Let's look at the mysterious napkin now."

Rose grinned. She had nearly forgotten about it. She reached behind her head and grabbed her purse off the end table behind the couch where she always left it. As she fished out the napkin a shiver ran down her spine and a sudden sense of potential and mystery seemed to hang in the air. Or so it seemed to Rose. Deena bounced up and down slightly in the chair and told her to hurry up, apparently not feeling whatever Rose thought she sensed. Rose unfolded the napkin slowly, almost ceremoniously. Deena gawped and looked confounded. Rose looked at the patterns and seemed almost mesmerized. Then she saw her name along the edge and something seemed to come over her. Rose said something neither of them understood almost involuntarily, thunder rumbled, the windows shook, and suddenly a storm burst outside the window with a colossal stroke of lightening.

Deena shrieked and grabbed the blanket Rose had made that she always left on the chair as the wind suddenly blew through the open window. Rose, frowning slightly and rubbing her now sore throat, went over and closed the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~Author's Note~~~  
> Hey everyone! Just a quick note. I am writing this as a novel so the "chapters" are going to be split up somewhat, but I will try to label all the entire chapters will make sense as a chapter. For example, all the pages in this section will be called the Prelude and have a sub-titled chapter. Each longer chapter will have between 5 and 10 sub-chapters(and each of those will be between 5 and 10 pages long), except maybe the Prelude. I have no idea how long this work will actually be...


	3. Prelude - Are you All Right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose goes about her day, but things are happening...
> 
> Who is the man she paints?

As Rose closed the window, Deena moaned gently and put her hands on her head. Rose turned around to see what was wrong with her friend and nearly fainted from a sudden burst of dizziness. She quickly sat down on the chair under the window, thus preventing an embarrassing moment. Or so she hoped. When her vision stopped spinning she looked over at Deena and asked her "..."

Rose cleared her throat and tried again. Nothing came out but a soft whimper. Deena who had by now shaken her head a few times and saw Rose trying to speak, but unable to, shakes her head and tries to say "Don't. As soon as the storm clears a bit, I'm heading home. I don't feel well." but all that emerges from her lips is a soft whimper and a raspy sound. Deena grabs Rose's whiteboard from the table and writes the message instead. (Rose has a bunch of small whiteboards scattered around her place because she uses them for her art sketches and ideas.) Rose nods when she sees this and gets up slowly to walk into the kitchen but she collapses on the way. Deena squeaks out a "U OK?" and tries to get up. Suddenly the pain in her head tripled and Deena fell sideways on the couch where she, too, passed out. Meanwhile the storm continued to rage outside.

Hours later, the women had recovered enough to get up and get a large drink of water and curl up under blankets. At some point the power had gone out. Neither woman felt up to talking, even if they could have, but their phone still worked, so they spent a while texting back and forth before the storm finally slowed to a slow, steady rain and Deena texted she was going to head home. Alex would be wondering where she was and she needed to make dinner for him. Plus she needed to take her puppy for a walk before she messed on the floor. Jenny, a tiny ball of fluff disguised as a black Scottish Terrier, was well trained, but even the best training is no good when Deena and Alex were gone for more than a few hours at a time. Deena and Alex loved her, especially since this was a surprise wedding present from Rose after they returned from their honeymoon a few months ago. As Deena gathered her purse, grabbed the spare umbrella Rose kept for friends who got caught at her house in a storm, and texted "See you soon. I'll get your umbrella back to you ASAP. :)" Rose nodded and waved a goodbye before laying down on the couch and burying herself under the blankets and pillows. She had a few candles in a jar lit around the room so she could see and a faint fragrance of mint was drifting around the room (from the candles). Rose smiled at the scene and closer her eyes to ease her aching head. Soon she was drifting in and out sleep. She decided that leaving the candles lit was too dangerous while she slept, so unwrapped the blankets and blew out the candles. Since the power was still out, Rose grabber her battery-operated "Flameless" LED candles and turned them on. That way, whenever she was back on her feet, she would have some gentle light and not be falling all over her own stuff or tripping on the throw rug. Besides, if the power came back the candles would start recharging the batteries and she could just shut them off with the remote if she needed to. She crawled back into her blanket-and-pillow nest and soon drifted off to a comfortable sleep.

When Rose woke up, it was 8 AM the next morning. She was amazed! She rarely slept peacefully all night and usually was up with the first light of the sun. When Rose looked up, she saw the rain was still gently falling outside and the power had returned. She got up and went into the kitchen, made herself a pot of mint tea, adding just a little honey for flavor and to sweeten it, and poured herself a large cup in her favorite glass mug. She smiled as she sipped and watched the rain fall against the glass. The tea helped the her still raw throat and calmed her, just as the gentle rain did. Rose loved the rain. It was why she had moved here in the first place. As Rose pondered the verdant garden beyond her patio and the miniature garden she had outside, she wondered what to do today. She was ahead on several work projects and didn't really feel well enough to do them anyway. Her phone needed charged, so she probably shouldn't go anywhere until the battery was back to full, not that she would have anyway, but now she had an excuse. Rose walked out to her front table and picked her phone up to plug it in. It buzzed as the charging cord started passing the electricity into the drained battery. She set her phone down, walked back to the kitchen, poured herself some more tea, and make a quick breakfast for herself. As she ate, Rose decided today would be a good day to either read or work on a new painting. Suddenly, Rose had a flash of inspiration. A man's face appeared in her head, swirled by eddies of light and sparkling stars. Rose grabbed her nearest whiteboard, sketching a quick and dirty version of the image before dumping her dishes in the sink to deal with later. As she exited the kitchen, grabbing her tea, Rose wondered if the patio was dry enough for her to paint outside today. The fresh air would be wonderful, and it meant she could use her good paints with half choking to death on fumes. She stepped over to the sliding door and opened it, stepping over her potted rosemary carefully. She loved her plants. Deena had given the large rosemary plant to Rose as a housewarming gift and a little joke (Rose's full name was Rosemary after all).

After deciding it was indeed dry enough under the canopy that covered half of her patio, Rose moved the portable easel over, along with the side rolling cart and stool she used for her art supplies. The tools and implements of her hobby were laid out exactly as she liked them and covered with a tarp that was tied to the legs so she didn't have to worry about water damaging anything or having to pack up and reset every few days. Rose went back inside long enough to grab a small try of things, a pillow, move her phone and charger out to the patio, a fresh new frame, a piece of canvas and her staple gun. As she stretched the canvas over the frame and stapled it in place, Rose was remembered she needed a few more things from in the house. She went back in and grabbed a large glass, filled it with ice, a straw, some water, and few slices of kiwi. She then grabbed her morning dose of medications, adding a few painkillers and her vitamins, before swallowing them down with the last of her tea.

Rose knew sometimes she lost all track of time and if she didn't have a few snacks and drinks close at hand, she would forget to eat and drink, ending up with her passed out or dehydrated again. Plus she needed to watch her blood sugar. She had been having issues with it dropping too low recently and her doctor was after her to make sure she didn't let it go. Being a diabetic, Rose was used to the daily routine of testing her blood sugar and taking her medications, but sometimes she envied her friends who didn't have to worry over what they ate, when they ate, or what would happen if they forgot to take a pill twice a day. So Rose grabbed a few of her favorite snacks; a tub of celery sticks from the fridge, a small cup of hummus to dip them in, a small tub of blackberries, a baggie of pistachios, and a small protein bar. She added them to the tray of stuff to put on the patio table and tapped her lips thoughtfully. What to drink, what to drink... Rose snapped her fingers and got out her favorite pitcher and a long wooden spoon. She added two cups of ice, a large handful of mint leaves, a small handful of frozen blueberries, a few packets of sucrolose (Splenda), and filled the pitcher with cold well water from her fridge. Rose knew her friends thought it was strange that Rose never drank water from the tap in her kitchen. Rose didn't need the migraines chlorine gave her, and it gave her an excuse every few weeks to go visit her mother's house and load up her car with gallons upon gallons of water from her well. Her mother loved the visits and never minded Rose dropping in to get water. Rose also had a really good water filter on the faucet that she used for cooking, but it still tasted terrible to drink. As she stirred the pitcher, she decided to make a second pitcher for later to keep in the fridge. Some days, she could drink a ton of water, and others she barely drank three glasses all day. It was better to have the backup ready she decided. After all, it would still be good tomorrow if she didn't drink it today, and it would save her a dirty spoon, some time, and effort. She got her special "fridge pitcher" out (it was labeled and fit perfectly into the odd spot Rose always ended up with in the door) and mixed up her backup batch, stirring and muddling the mint and blueberries carefully, before adding the lid and returning everything to the fridge. After that Rose headed back to her bedroom to change into her messy paint clothes: a pair of ripped jeans, a tee shirt with paint and bleach stains, and a pair of sneakers with so many paint splatters on them it was impossible to determine what color they had originally been.

Drink? Check. Phone? Check. Whiteboard with sketch? Check. Snacks? Check and Check. Music? Oops! Nearly forgot that one! Rose grabbed her wireless pill speakers, synced them to her laptop, and streamed her favorite radio out the door. As she did so, she checked her email and noticed a new message from Deena. What was that about? Rose double clicked the email and read the message curiously. At first, Deena just started out normally, talking about getting back together with you at her house maybe next week. Then she asked you a very strange question. Had you noticed anything strange when you woke up this morning and started talking to people? With a soft chuckle, Rose realized she had yet to say anything, even to herself, today. With as much as her throat was bothering her she decided to wait until later and just sent a quick reply back to Deena explaining just that. She closed her email and got her special paints, brushes, the canvas wash she needed, rinse cups with tap water, and her blood sugar testing stuff, just in case. She then arranged everything just how she liked it outside and sat down on the tall easel stool with her cushion placed just so. Rose then opened the bucket of canvas wash and laid down a quick coat before taking the brush inside to rinse, grabbing two more frames and canvas enough to cover them as she passed. As she assembled her canvases and whitewashed them to prevent the material from absorbing too much paint and making the paint lay more true, she remembered back to the first time she ever did this, in her high school art class. With a smile at the memory, a small shake of the head, and a quick check of her first canvas, she quickly gave each new canvas the proper three coats she preferred, waiting only long enough between coats to let the wash dry. Rose was careful not to let her brush leave behind any imperfections like clumps or stray bristles. After she finished, she decided to wash her hands and the brush more thoroughly in the laundry/ utility room. She decided she probably ought to do some laundry today also, since she was running low on clean socks and shirts. As she loaded the washer she noticed the napkin from the restaurant in the pocket of yesterday's jeans and removed it carefully. She finished loading the washer, added soap, started it and set her timer. She would hear the timer buzz from the patio, reminding her to dry her clothes. She rinsed her brush and scrubbed her hands clean, before turning to the towel she kept in the room. As she dried her hands, Rose decided to look at the napkin again. When she opened it up (it had been folded closed again) she was perplexed. There was nothing on the napkin now at all! Where did the weird and wonderful drawings go? And why did the man from her earlier inspiration pop back into her head? What was happening? Rose tossed the napkin in the trash next to the dryer and went back out to the patio to lose herself in her world of art, trying to shake the strange mental images, confusing events, and odd feelings she was suddenly confronted with. 

Rose painted all day, resulting in a gorgeous portrait of an unknown man on a swirling mist that practically glowed off the canvas and swirled and sparkled in a truly magical way. She also had started a second painting, one of the rain glittering down from the clouds onto a window and a flower garden. She had completely forgotten about the events of the previous day, was relaxed for the first time in quite a while, and was starting to get a little hungry. When she looked at the time she was quite surprised to see it was almost 9 pm. She shook her head, grimaced, stretched languidly, got up from the stool, and quickly put everything away. She then went into her house and prepped a frozen meal, which she then ate while watching her favorite YouTubers on the big TV in the living. As Rose reflected on the day, she decided that tomorrow she would finish her painting and play some video games before looking at any more work projects. After all, she rarely skipped working even one day a week and she needed a break. Her boss had complained to her several times recently that she was working too many hours and then telling her (in practically the same breath) that she had to make sure she submitted ALL her hours. Maybe everyone would lay off her a little if she took a three day weekend. Rose finished her food, took her evening medicine, washed the dishes for the day, and checked her email one final time before turning off the lights and heading back to bed for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will TRY to post a chapter a day. The first two chapters went up on different days, but within a few hours of each other. I doubt that will happen again, but it could. There probably will not be any conistantcy in posting time, other than every day (if I can manage that). Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoy. This is going to be really long I think (possibly over 100 chapters, definitely over 30) and I am hoping to eventually call it my first novel. I have another fiction written that I may post if there is interest after this is done, and I may switch out a few short stories for days on this work. If so they will probably be Reader X YouTubers or request projects. Anyone want to request anything? :)


	4. Prelude - The Cracks Begin To Show

Rose went back to work on Monday, feeling renewed. Not only had she managed to finish her painting of the rain and post a few pictures of her new works on her Instagram account, she was the high bidder on the art supply action she had been following! That meant she was finally going to get her throwing wheel and pottery kiln, but it also meant she had to buckle down and find a new house to live in soon, because there was just no place to put ANYTHING else here. As much as she loved her cozy apartment, she did have to admit, at least to herself that it was too small for her. She couldn't even invite more than two people over at a time and had no where to have overnight guests stay. Plus she wasn't really close enough to the office or much of anything except the little grocery store and cafe she went to regularly (and that was because they were close, not because they were all that inexpensive or good). Oh well, it was past time to start looking anyway. Maybe something closer to Deena and Alex? Rose really hated driving in the city, and if she could find something closer to them and walk, she might even be able to sell her car. Something to think about when she was looking, she decided. As she sat down at her computer station and began logging in for work, Rose checked her email again. The email from Deena caught her eye once more. What did Deena mean about something being wrong when she talked? Rose decided to email her back and find out. Deena responded almost too quickly and asked for a Skype session. Rose checked in with her office and found no new projects waiting, only the usual updates and projects Rose had already been working on. She instant messaged her boss briefly and stated she would be unavailable to chat for just a quick call to a friend and agreed to Skype Deena. Rose's boss, Greg, responded that it was fine, in fact she should go into offline mode for the morning and download the three patches on the company software she hadn't gotten yet before coming back online. Rose agreed and set her work computer in *Busy -- UPDATES RUNNING* mode. Everyone in the office knew if anyone had this mode up they were patching the computer and might lose the connection repeatedly. After taking care of these minor details Rose ran over to her personal laptop and logged on to Skype (Rose always left her laptop on on the other side of the room to play music or run games during breaks and slow periods, so she was already logged into the operating system). Deena immediately requested a video call and Rose accepted. Deena's face appeared on screen, anxious and paler than normal. Her eye were nervously staring at the screen and she was shaking slightly. Rose was alarmed and immediately asked "What's going on?" 

Deena's breath hitched as she opened her mouth to speak, "Rose have you been talking yet? Do you know why I'm upset?" Deena looked slightly annoyed, shook her head and tried again. "Have you noticed anything odd? Or tell me, is my premise flawed?"

Rose stared in confusion at her friend for a moment. Was she rhyming on purpose? "What do you mean? Are you alright?"

Deena blinked several times and grumbled to herself. "I guess I was wrong. Maybe I'll go sing a song." She rolled her eyes. "I'm going to type to you. Just watch, that's what I'll do." Rose continued to stare at her friend, utterly confused. A message appeared onscreen from Deena. [Apparently, I can text, write, and type normally, at least for now. Ever since I came home from your house the other day, after the big storm, whenever I talk it's either a weird Meme thing or a terrible rhyme. I was hoping you might know something about it. You seem okay though. Say something else just so we know for sure, please]

Rose thought about it for a minute, "What should I say? I can't think straight..." Deena sighed and shook her head. Another message appeared on screen. [Guess it's just me then. Sorry to bug you.] With that she signed off Skype, ending the call. Rose stared at the screen for a few minutes, wondering what had happened to her friend and why she was convinced it had anything to do with Rose. As she closed the lid to her personal laptop, Rose walked back to her company machine. The first of the updates was about halfway done downloading. This was going to take forever! Instead of just wasting her time staring at a download progress bar, she had to do something. Rose decided to email her boss and explain how long it was taking and ask if he had anything she could work on offline while this was going one. He replied back quickly with a definitive no and told her she could just take the rest of the day to do the updates and patches. If they needed her would call her cell phone or send her an email. And if the patches and upgrades didn't finish by the end of the day, just let him know. Rose emailed back an affirmative response and walked into her kitchen. As she stared out the window into the patio, she realized she would miss the view of the communal gardens, and decided then and there that her new home would have to have a backyard and hopefully some garden space or a garden already growing. With that Rose grabbed a pad of paper and a pencil and sat down at the kitchen counter to make up a list of what her new home had to have, what she would like, and what would be deal breakers. It looked like this when she was done:

 **NEED**  
1 - At least 4 bedrooms. One for me. One for an art studio. One for a home office. One for guests.  
2 - A large living room or den. Both would be nice.  
3 - A decent kitchen.  
4 - A laundry area.  
5 - A place to put the kiln. Basement? Garage?  
6 - A garden or space for one.  
7 - Lots of light or windows and skylights.

 **WOULD BE NICE**  
1 - A really good kitchen with an attached dining room.  
2 - Some bamboo or hardwood floors.  
3 - An open or semi-open floor plan.  
4 - No more than 2 floors.  
5 - A sun-room or patio for plants and painting.  
6 - More guest rooms?  
7 - A driveway to park in.  
8 - Closer to work and/or Deena and Alex.  
9 - Maybe near a park? 

**DEAL BREAKERS**  
1 - No high speed internet.  
2 - Poor cell phone reception.  
3 - More than 15 minutes from ANY stores and shops.  
4 - No yard / Neighbors too close to each other.  
5 - Fewer bathrooms than floors.  
6 - Being on too busy a street.

After finishing her list, Rose thought about it for a moment before deciding it was good enough for now. She then went back to her personal laptop and dragged it, the power cord, her pad of paper, her pencil, and her cell phone over to the couch, plugging in the laptop and phone so she wouldn't have to worry. She grabbed the portable cooling pad she used for under her laptop off the table behind her and plugged it in, placing the laptop on it, before moving the computer to her lap and adjusting the screen. After these preparations were complete, she reached for her water bottle, only to realize she hadn't brought it with her. She put the laptop back down with a groan and ran into the kitchen to grab it. She also grabbed a tub of celery and carrot sticks and a second bottle of water before heading back to the couch. Once she put the extra water on the table, within reach, but out of the way, she sat down and got comfortable once more. She put the carrots and celery in easy reach, with the water bottle close at hand and put the computer back on her lap, stretching her legs out of the couch as she did so. Now to begin the search in earnest. 

Rose spent the entire morning look at real estate listings. She had written down a few leads and contacted a realtor who seemed to list some properties similar to what she wanted. When she looked at the time, Rose decided it was time to quit for a while, check on her work computer, and eat some real food. A quick check showed her two of the downloads had finished and the others would be several more hours, if they even finished today. She sighed, frustrated. If she had known about these downloads, she could have done them yesterday, while she was doing other projects. Well, no matter. They would take as long as they took. Entering the kitchen, Rose decided she would make some soup in the slow cooker for dinner, after she prepped her lunch. One plate of leftover lasagna and a salad later, the soup was coming together rather quickly. Rose finished chopping and added the last of the ingredients for her soup to the cooker just as her phone rang. She quickly placed the lid down and rushed to grab it before the caller hung up. "Hello?"

"Is this Rosemary Smithson?"

"Yes. Who is it?"

"My name isn't important. Not yet anyway. Did you read the napkin?"

Rose was confused. "What do you mean?" Wait a minute, Rose thought frantically, I was trying to say what napkin...

The voice on the other end of the line chuckled deeply. The man said "It sounds like maybe you did. Have you figured it out yet?"

Rose struggled to understand what the man was talking about. "What's your name? Answer me! What did you do?"

The man laughed out loud. "Maybe I made it too easy on you? Well, time will tell. You and your friend will need to find me if you want this removed. Unless you can figure out another way to get rid of it. I look forward to hearing from you soon..." With those ominous words, the phone went dead. Rose hung it up gently and tried desperately to calm her swirling head and jangling nerves. What in the actual hell was going on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might not be able to post tomorrow. I feel the beginnings of a migraine coming on and I'm not sure if I'll be up to it. I will try though. Hope everyone enjoys this latest installment. Have a great day/night! :)


	5. Chapter One - Explain it to Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A month has past since the prelude. The mystery man makes another appearance.

As Rose soon discovered, she too had a mysterious speech issue. Every time she spoke out loud, her words twisted just slightly to become a song title (no matter how obscure) or lyrics to a well known song. It was not as annoying as she feared, but it was still somewhat inconvenient. So far a month had past any no one except Deena had noticed. Poor Deena was having a much worse time. She had been forced to resort to email, chat, and text messages for work, claiming an infection and damage to her vocal chords. The rhyming and meme thing was out of control for her and very obvious. Fortunately, people were sympathetic about her not speaking and she was able to get her work done still, although her husband kept emailing Rose asking her to find a solution and fast! Rose was doing her best, but so far she had few leads. Just who was the mystery man and how did he get her name and number? Did her know her? What did he do to the women and why? What was his power? Many more questions arose than answers as Rose tried to find anything out about the man. Meanwhile, she received mystery letters or notes from him every few days, as though to make sure she didn't lose interest in the search. A few of them had been helpful, with tiny clues and hints. Others were completely useless, or so they seemed to Rose. Deena was baffled. She had become somewhat of a social recluse since all this started and spent most evenings with Rose, trying to help find any information on the man or just quietly hiding, feeling safe and calm in one of the few places that knew all about her problem and didn't care or judge. Alex was spending far more time here as well, which was making Rose's house search more urgent. She had sensed several times that they would have asked to stay the night if Rose had had the room to let them. Once she even offered to let them stay and take her room, with her sleeping on the couch, but she was clearly exhausted the next day, and her friends refused from then on. 

Rose was having some unexpected good luck. Work was less demanding than usual, several people had seen her artwork and wanted to buy paintings or commission special orders, she had found a real estate agent who had three properties exactly meeting Rose's wishlist that were within her price range, and she had won twice on scratch off lottery tickets in the past month. And while neither prize was huge, one being a cash prize of $7,500 and the other a new low-end car, they were big enough to excite her. Maybe the good luck would rub off on her mystery man search soon! Rose glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 1:20 PM. Rose had an appointment with a car dealership to pick out her car at 2, and then would spend the rest of the afternoon with the real estate agent looking the houses. She should probably head out now to avoid traffic. Rose had cleaned out her car of everything except her vehicle manual, registration, a small umbrella, her purse, and the emergency car kit she always kept behind the seat. She wasn't sure if she would be driving home in her old car and waiting for a custom ordered car, or if she would be taking something today, and wanted to be ready for either eventuality. If they had a car for her there, she would hopefully be able to get enough in trade in value to cover the taxes, registration, fees, and any other miscellaneous expenses and still get some cash, but Rose was a realist and knew that might not be possible. If the dealership gave her too low an offer however, she knew she always had the option of selling her car elsewhere or privately selling it. She hoped it wouldn't come to that, but if it did she was ready to do what it took. Rose grabbed her keys and headed out the door, locking up as always. She waved cheerfully at the neighbors and apartment manager when she saw them, before climbing in her car and driving to the designated dealership. The lottery people were on hand, explaining exactly what cars Rose could choose from. Rose spotted a gorgeous pale blue Toyota Prius hybrid. She went over to further examine the car. It was a Prius c 4 model, with all the extras Rose wanted. It was actually less than the lottery people had allowed for (they said she could spend up to $35,000 msrp and this car was $27,900) so they were going to cover all the added fees, registration, taxes, extended warranty, and tag costs. Rose was ecstatic! This was the car she had wanted for years, a great upgrade for her, and a hybrid vehicle. She found the mechanic who had been looking over her car, listened to what he was telling her, and was once again pleasantly surprised. The dealer was offering her several thousand more for her old car than she had thought she would get. She happily accepted, signed the papers for her old car over (she had brought them along, just in case), signed the paperwork with the lottery people accepting their terms and agreeing not to seek the difference in the amount of the promised prize versus what she actually got, signed more paperwork with the dealer about her new car, received the keys to her brand new car, and drove off to meet the rest of the day in a wonderful mood. Things could not have gone smoother for her. 

As Rose was enjoying the experience of her first ever new car, she passed a man who looked oddly familiar. She quickly pulled over to get a better look. It was the man she had been seeing in flashes of inspiration. He was real? Who was he? Rose quickly rolled down her window and called out "I've seen your face somewhere before I swear, could it be I've met you somewhere else?" Rose blushed slightly as the lyrics rolled off her tongue. The man turned and grinned at her.

"Very good Rose. If I didn't know you had to say it that way, I might have missed it." With a smirk and a wink the man turned and ran off, dropping a few scraps of paper as he went. Rose stared stunned. It was the mystery man from the phone! She dashed out of her car and grabbed the papers before they drifted away on the wind and cursed slightly at how fast the man was. At least now she had a face to go with the voice and handwriting though. Rose tucked the paper into her purse and drove off to meet the real estate agent. Her mind raced furiously. She was sorely tempted to call off the house hunt for the day, but she knew until something could be done for Deena, her best option was to go ahead. Besides, the real estate agent was a busy woman who had made special arrangements to view all three houses today. When Rose pulled up to the first house, she was impressed. There was a gorgeous flower bed in front of the house as well as a small stone path to the front door from the road. Along the side of the house there was a longish driveway with a pad to park and an attached two-car garage. Rose parked her new car on the pad and got out too get a better look around and see the back yard. The backyard was large, but manageable, with a garden plot already tilled. A small stream traversed the back of the lawn and separated the woods from the grassy area. Rose was not sure how far back the property extended, but hoped at least a little of the woods were part of the deal. The house itself was a decent size, a brick two-story home, with a sun-room off the side opposite the garage. Rose noticed with approval there were many large windows and skylights. She also spotted what looked like solar panels and a well. Good. Rose preferred well water, and if she could have solar panels she wanted them. All in all, this looked very much like a good fit for her if the inside was as nice as the outside and the price could be arranged. Rose stepped back over to her car just as the real estate agent came up the driveway. She cheerfully extended a hand to Rose and introduced herself as Mary Ellen. Rose nodded and asked "Is it okay?" in a hoarse voice and holding up her phone. Mary Ellen laughed and said it was fine if Rose texted questions to her, stating she sounded like she was going to lose her voice at any second anyway and if one of them wandered off at least they would be able to find the other with a message. Rose smiled and texted a quick thanks. This way she could ask anything and not be stuck spouting lyrics and nonsense! The agent then started the tour and Rose took many notes. She was impressed with the home overall, it had a great mudroom just of the garage, which would be great for laundry, that lead into the kitchen, a large sunny room with pale yellow walls, bamboo floors, plenty off space, modern appliances, and a truly gorgeous wrap- around counter. The kitchen flowed into a breakfast nook with large, airy french doors into the back yard on one side and a half wall separation on the other from the dining room. The dining room was a modestly sized room with walls colored a soft, extremely pale blue-grey, almost the color of rain. It too had bamboo flooring. The half wall that separated the kitchen/ breakfast nook from the dining room ended in an archway with about three feet of full wall after and a short hallway beyond. The hallway had two alcoves, one without a door and one with a door. The one with a door turned out to be a three-quarter bath, with a spacious tiled shower, toilet, and sink as well as a small linen closet in the corner. The bathroom was done in shades of blue and green with a large stained glass picture hanging over the inside of the window for privacy. The alcove without the door was a small room, probably designed to be a pantry, closet, or small home office. There would be just room enough to put a small bookshelf and desk or shelving for storage. At the end of the hall were two rooms, clearly meant to be a living room and a den or man cave. One was light and spacious, with pale wood trim, a soft, pale grey carpet, cream painted walls, and a large stone fireplace. The other was a darker room, with smoke grey carpet, deep sapphire colored walls, and heavy curtains covering the windows. The overall effect was that of a theater or stage, with seating lined up along the walls, facing one of the walls. Rose smiled slightly to herself. This could be a fantastic art studio if she changed just a few things... Rose noticed the door one one side of the room opened back into the dining room, but the other door lead to a new room. The master bedroom. Or more correctly master suite! There was a roomy walk-in closet and a master bath with a full, sunken, whirlpool tub, a shower, a large mirror and sink, and a toilet. There was also a small sun-room just off the master suite that could only be accessed through the bedroom. A perfect retreat for Rose and her plants with room for her easel and a few chairs. Perfect!

Rose turned from her inspection of the the sun-room and master suite to find she had somehow lost Mary Ellen. She texted a quick [Where are you?] and laughed at the response of waiting in the living room. Rose walked back out and found Marry Ellen looking out a at large sun-room off the side of the living room. This was the room she had noticed from outside! This was a room meant to have guests and friends and laughter. It also had a door leading to two sets of stairs, one going up and one going down. Rose quickly decided to head upstairs to see what was on the second floor. The second floor was bedrooms. Five of them to be exact, although one of them was rather small and would probably be a better library or home office. All of the rooms had large closets and the four bigger rooms had Jack-and-Jill style shared bathrooms (one bathroom between two rooms, with doors in both leading in), and a skylight. None of the rooms were small or cramped. After looking in all the rooms, Rose made her way down to the basement, just to see what was there. Half of the basement was just an unfinished area with the furnace, electrical panel, water heater, water softener, and another unidentified machine. There was a small closet under the stairs, and a few shelving units in a corner as well. The other half however was finished. It looked like it had been a game room. There were electrical sockets all over the place and the lighting was dimmable with a switch. There were multiple cable and Ethernet jacks in the walls. Also a good option for a home office, Rose decided. So many choices if she bought this home. Mary Ellen lead Rose back up to the outside of the house and went over the outside grounds, explaining the boundaries and what belonged to the house as opposed to the neighbors. When she was done talking, Rose texted just one question [How much?] Mary Ellen named an amount well below what Rose had feared. It was within her price range, but it was not ideally located. Rose decided to at least look at the other houses before making any decisions and said "Let's go." Her voice once again sounded terrible. Rose wondered if it was from not speaking much in the last month, or if the mystery man had once again done something to her. Mary Ellen asked if she meant it was time to view the next house and Rose nodded. Since Mary Ellen had not told her where it was Rose followed Mary Ellen as they drove slowly to another beautiful home in a different part of town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pushed through the migraine! :) Enjoy


	6. Author's Note

Hello everyone! Just a quick note. I have been working on the next chapter of this, around some of my other stories, but I have kind of had some writer's block. I'm hoping to have the next real chapter out when I can. My health has taken a turn for the worse, so things are being pushed back, again. The hiatus shall continue. Sorry folks!

**Author's Note:**

> Please be kind. I have no idea where this story is coming from or where it will go, so if you are going to leave a comment (which would be fab! BUT no pressure) please keep this in mind. Also, if you like it, want to see something specific, or just want to ask me a question, the comments are open. This is my first story on the web! Thanks for reading and I hope you love it!
> 
> \---PS--- If you see a mistake, please let me know. I'm trying to edit as I write and post right after. I may miss somethings. Sorry. Also posted on my quotev account (bmlrose). I am going back and reformatting the first few pages, but the content isn't changing, just the formatting!


End file.
